As part of our drive to combat climate change and improve recycling rates in the county, we are continually looking for ways to improve our services and the glass recycling scheme aims to do just that.
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What can go in your glass recycling bin.
- Residents are asked to only place rinsed glass bottles and jars in the bin.
- Any other items, such as pane glass and Pyrex, will contaminate the load.
- If unwanted items are found to be in the bin on collection day, the bin will be tagged with a purple hanger and the glass, unfortunately, will not be recycled.
Get a free text/email reminder before each bin collection day.
As a household who is participating in the glass recycling trial, you can sign up for electronic messages to remind you about your collection days. If you sign up, you will have the opportunity to be entered into a free prize draw to win a £100 voucher.
Your questions answered:
What can I put in my glass bin?
Please place only glass bottles and jars in your glass bin. These can be of any colour. Please rinse them first, if you can.
Can I put bottle tops and corks in the glass bin?
No, please do not put anything other than clean glass bottles and jars in the glass bin. No bottle tops, corks or lids of any kind.
Can I leave labels on the bottles and jars?
It is possible to recycle bottles and jars if labels are still on them.
Can I put broken household glass and glass kitchen ware in the glass bin?
No, please don’t put anything other than clean glass bottles and jars in the glass bin. You should dispose of other household glass
, Pyrex cookware or crockery either wrapped and in your general household waste bin, or at
your local household waste recovery centre.
What happens if I put items that are not glass bottles and jars in my glass bin?
This will ‘contaminate’ your bin, and we will not be able to recycle the contents. If this happens:
- We will place a tag on your bin informing you of this
- You should leave the tag on the bin, and put it out at the same time as your general waste bin on your next collection date for the general waste bin
- We will empty the bin with your general waste bin, but unfortunately the contents will not be recycled.
Please take great care to put only glass bottles and jars in your bin.
What happens if my glass waste bin is not collected on collection day?
If we miss your bin due to our operational difficulties, we post information about this on our alerts channels on social media and at
www.northumberland.gov.uk You can also report a missed bin on the website.
We will make every effort to return to collect your bin, providing that it was missed through our fault.
However, if it has been missed due to bad weather or other circumstances beyond our control, this may not always be possible, and we will then collect it on the next collection date.
Why does my bin need to be put out by 7am?
The time that we come to empty your bins may change - if you don’t put your bin out by 7am on the day of collection, it might not be emptied and we won’t be able to return for it.
Throughout the year, we still occasionally need to change the order in which we collect bins to take into account things like roadworks, weather conditions and other issues outside of our control, so please always ensure you put your bin out by 7am on collection day.
What if I have an existing assisted collection for my other bins?
The type of assistance you currently receive will be the same for your glass recycling bin.
If you lock a gate, then please make sure that it is open from 7am on each collection day.
What should I do on my glass bin collection day?
Follow this simple checklist to ensure your bins are collected correctly:
- Put your bin out before 7am on collection day, either at the kerbside or previously agreed collection point.
- Don’t overfill your bin; the lid must be able to close.
- For safety reasons, please don’t leave excess glass alongside your bin as it will not be collected.
- Any excess glass can be taken to your local glass recycling point or household waste recovery centre.
- Take your bin back onto your property within 24 hours of it being emptied.
What should I do if I don’t want this bin, and don’t want to take part in the trial?
We would ask that you please take the wheeled bin when it is delivered, and take time to consider whether this new service would be beneficial for you - trying out the scheme for the first month.
If, after consideration and trial, you still feel that you won’t use the bin, and it will not be of any benefit to you, then please call customer services on 0345 600 6400 and we will arrange to collect it.
We will not be collecting unused bins until after the first glass collection on 13 November 2020
Why can’t we put glass in with other recyclables, in the way that you can in other areas?
Some neighbouring councils do have a separate glass-collection caddy that sits on top of, or inside, recycling bins. However, this relies on that council having vehicles with multiple compartments inside.
In Northumberland, we currently only operate a single fleet of refuse collection vehicles. This means that the same vehicle that collects recyclable waste one week, will then collect general waste the next week.
This approach makes economic and environmental sense for Northumberland, however we understand that it can be less convenient for residents, and that is why we are looking at other options, such as this separate glass collection.
By having a separate wheeled bin, as in this trial scheme, we can recycle all of the glass bottles and jars that we collect. It is really important that you only place glass bottles and jars in your glass wheeled bin – as these are the only items that we can recycle through this scheme.
Why has my household been chosen to take part in this trial scheme?
When designing the trial scheme we looked across the county and chose areas close to four of our depot locations. We also looked to include both more urban or rural locations, and different housing types, so that we can assess how this trial scheme would work in different areas of Northumberland.
Are there any plans to collect food waste in the future in Northumberland?
Detailed models of the collection and processing of food waste, via anaerobic digestion, are also being considered.
It is also envisaged that the separate collection of food waste will become a legal requirement in the future, and we are awaiting further information from Government.
Where can I take items that I can’t put in any of my bins?